China, Japan and the ROK launched the trilateral organization in September 2011, a milestone in the process of building friendship and trust among the three countries.
"Although there are a lot of difficulties in the Japan-China relationship, there are also a lot of positive, cooperative activities going on and room for cooperation in the future," Iwatani said. "People should pay more attention to this positive side of the relationship."
Frequent meetings can help build personal relationships between Chinese and Japanese leaders. By discussing pending issues based on such mutual personal trust, the two countries can avoid worsening of the relationship in the future and might find solutions to various issues, he added.
Harunobu Kato, executive commentator of Japan's NHK broadcasting corporation, said he hoped that more cooperation among the three countries will play a bigger role in peace and stability in East Asia.
"I hope that the meeting will help the three leaders to understand each other more and find more approaches to improve relations," Kato said, adding that if the three countries reached a free-trade agreement, it would bring great benefits for all.
He said that if Li and Abe meet, this would help them have more ideas for developing a win-win relationship.
When the two countries cooperate, both win; and when they confront, both lose, he added.
China is the largest trading partner of Japan and South Korea, while Japan is China's second-largest single-country trading partner and South Korea its third, with their trading volume last year totaling $307.5 billion and $235.4 billion, respectively, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.
The three countries' combined GDP accounts for 20 percent of that of the whole world.
